PM gave assurance he will look into Mhadei issue: CM

Panaji: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday assured chief minister Pramod Sawant that he would not allow any injustice to be done to Goa in the Mhadei matter. Sawant urged Modi not to permit Karnataka to divert Mhadei water.

“Modi assured to look into the Mhadei matter and said that he will not allow any injustice to Goa,” Sawant told TOI after he called on the PM in New Delhi on Thursday. Sawant said he explained the chronology of events in the Mhadei matter to the PM. He told the PM that the Mhadei matter is likely to come up in the Supreme Court on July 15, 16 and 22. “Until the SC’s final hearing, the Union government should not give permission to Karnataka to start construction for diverting Mhadei waters,” Sawant told the PM.

On March 6, Sawant urged the Jal Shakti ministry and the environment ministry not to permit Karnataka to carry out any construction on Mhadei till Goa’s side is heard. The opposition had said that the meeting was just an eyewash and the chief minister should have met the PM and explained Goa’s stand as it is linked to different ministries.

On March 2, the SC had rejected Goa’s plea to stop Karnataka from starting work on the Mhadei, but said Karnataka can begin construction only after getting permission from the Centre, and preparation of a detailed project report (DPR). A day later, Sawant had said that the state would approach the Centre and request them not to permit Karnataka to start any work on its projects on the Mhadei.